Should the US treat gun violence as a public health issue?

With gun violence an ever-present concern of those living in the United States, Thursday's edition of The Stream will feature three topics related to the issue.

Gun violence and public health

Medical and public-health professionals in the United States are renewing their push to get public funding for research into the causes and impacts of gun violence, 22 years after a bill amendment stymied such scrutiny.

A US federal judge has blocked the publication of schematics for 3D-printable guns, just hours before they were due to be posted online. The order comes after eight states and the District of Columbia sued the government to block a settlement between the US State Department and Defense Distributed, a non-profit that owns the printing instructions. Defense Distributed had already published several schematics but planned to make all its files available on August 1. While Defense Distributed say they are exercising their free speech rights to publish the information, law enforcement officials say they are concerned that disseminating the schematics will promote the production of untraceable 'ghost guns', complicate efforts to counter gun violence, and circumvent responsible gun ownership We’ll look at both sides of the argument.

Youth activism

Meanwhile, some activists who have first-hand experience of deadly gun violence are on the road as part of their effort to change US gun laws. March For Our Lives was formed by the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in the aftermath of a deadly mass shooting in February. The group has toured the country over the last two months to win support for its effort towards gun control and counter the power of the NRA. On August 4, their 'Road To Change' tour will join other gun control organisations for a rally outside the NRA headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. We'll ask how youth activists have been faring in their marathon effort towards changing US gun laws.

We'll examine these subjects and consider how the arguments for both gun control and gun rights loom large within the American psyche. Join the conversation.